January, 1914 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



trees the practice of girdling is well 

 known and in some cases advisable. 

 Removing a circle of bark two-thirds of 

 ,n inch wide right around the branch 



I^Kan in 



early in the spring, thus permitting the 

 sap to run up in the tree but preventing 

 its return, will produce heavy bearing. 

 Of course this practice cannot be fol- 



lowed too closely or one might ruin the 

 tree. The fruit buds that determine the 

 crops of the succeeding year are formed 

 the spring of the year previous. 



Wrapped and Unwrapped Fruit in Boxes 



E. T. Palmer, Assistant Horticulturist, Ontario Department of Agriculture 



THE question of wrapping is attract- 

 ing more and more attention each 

 year from eastern growers, and 

 rightly so. In the western states and 

 British Columbia practically all number 

 one fruit is wrapped. Conditons, how- 

 ever, are somewhat different in Ontario, 

 so that wrapping should be governed by 

 the variety of apples and the market. 

 Western growers are building up a high- 

 class market with this high-class pro- 

 duct, .'^t present, however, it is doubt- 

 ful if it would pay the ordinary grower 

 who has no special market for his fruit. 

 Briefly, the advantages of wrapong 

 are as follows : 



First : It improves the keeping r|ii,il- 

 ity by preventing disease spreading f.tn-. 

 fruit to fruit. 



Second : Apart from the control oi di- 

 sease, it improves the keeping v|uaii';v-, 

 in that wrapped fruit may be firm and in 

 prime condition several weeks after un- 

 wrapped fruit has become mealy from 

 over-ripeness. 



Third: It protects the fruit from sud- 

 den changes of temperature and absorbs 

 surplus moisture. 



Fourth : It makes an elastic but firm 

 pack, much less liable to shift than un- 

 wrapped fruit. This applies particularly 

 to easily bruised varieties ; it prolongs 

 their life and good appearance. 



Fifth : It gives a more finished appear- 

 ance to the package. It indicates a 

 high-grade product and the fruit finds a 

 readier sale and a higher price in many 

 markets. 



Sixth : Once the knack of wrapping 

 has been acquired, it is much easier in 

 almost every way to pack wrapped fruit, 

 as any packer skilled in both methods 

 will testify. 



WRAPPED VS UNWRAPPED 



The main disadvantage of wrapping is 

 that in rases where the fruit is not cool- 

 ed at the time of packing, the wrapper 

 prevents rapid cooling. There may be 

 a difference of fen degrees F. at the end 

 of one day between a box of unwrapped 

 fruit and one wrapped. ' Wrapping, 

 however, has so many advantages that 

 this one disadvantage may be practical- 

 ly disregarded. 



It seems to be the general opinion of 

 those unfamiliar with wrapping that it 

 adds to the cost of packing. As a mat- 

 ter of fact the cost of the paper is al- 

 most saved by the weight of fruit dis- 

 placed by it. Further, experienced 

 packers can do as quick or even quicker 

 work wrapping than without. 



Again, it is easier to procure the pro- 

 per bulge with wrapping, as the firm- 

 ness of the pack can be varied consider- 

 ably from the middle of the box to the 

 ends without injuring the pack in any 

 way. 



By packing the apples closer in the 

 centre the pockets between the apples 

 are closed up more. The next layer then 

 will not sink so deep, and therefore 

 builds up the centre. The ends being 

 left a little looser, the pockets are open- 

 ed a little more and the apples drop in 

 further, and therefore do not build up so 

 high. Practice alone will give the know- 



ledge of just how tight to pack the cen- 

 tre or how loose to pack the ends. 



As this difference in firmness cannot 

 be made with unwrapped fruit it is con- 

 siderably harder to pack it and have as 

 nicely finished a box. Again, as al- 

 ready noted, there is more latitude in 

 the style of pack when wrapping the 

 fruit. 



Only number one fruit and possibly 

 number two of the winter varieties 

 should be wrapped. Usually all fruit 

 intended for distant markets as Great 

 Britain should be wrapped unless the 

 market calls for unwrapped fruit, as the 



AjWell LoadedgBritish Columbia Peach Trae 



(Photo by G. H. B. Hudaon, Kelowna). 



